Regarding Lyric Changes and Eggnog Lattes
by Elphaba'sGirl
Summary: Stephen worked double shifts at Watchtower cafe every other Saturday. As Stephen's shifts bled together, she sat there, slowly sipping her eggnog latte as she typed away on her computer, and Stephen poured infinite amounts of coffee and espresso until three o'clock came about and it finally slowed down.


**Hey all! Hope you enjoy this oneshot! Half of it is actually the ending I had planned to use in AEG, but it's literally the only part of that story I was excited to write, so I morphed it into a oneshot.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing in this. None of the lyrics used, none of the characters.**

* * *

><p>At sixteen years old, Stephen Heart's job at the Watchtower Cafe was by no means permanent. Sure, he worked hard, and his paycheck was a good chunk of money to put toward college. The conditions were adequate, his manager was the agreeable sort, and his coworkers were kind people as well. He enjoyed his job, he enjoyed working, and he enjoyed the customers who came into the store.<p>

Founded only a handful of decades prior, Eagle, Ohio was by no means a big city. Perhaps not even a city. A town, maybe. A village, possibly. Living conditions were adequate, and the residents were the agreeable sort. Stephen enjoyed living there, he enjoyed attending high school (he was in his junior year), and he enjoyed his life in general.

And he intended to keep on enjoying the simplicity of his home town until he headed for Julliard- hopefully on a scholarship- after senior year. As nothing ever changed, he figured it wouldn't be an issue.

Stephen worked double shifts every other Saturday, when Wayne worked at a car dealership (a slightly more permanent job, but Stephen wasn't jealous).

He greeted every single customer with a smile on his face, and felt rewarded when it was returned.

"Good morning," he said looking up from the cash register to see a pair of familiar dark brown eyes.

"Morning," the girl greeted him, smiling slightly as she tucked a soft strand of raven hair behind one ear.

"What can I get for you?" Stephen asked politely.

She adjusted her bag on her shoulder and scanned the menu handing above his head, while he ran his eyes over her face. Still unsure if he'd guessed her identity correctly, he said nothing.

"I'll have an eggnog latte, please." She smiled, flashing pearl white teeth beneath her glossed lips.

"Coming right up." Stephen poured the latte into a cup and snapped a lid on top. "Here you are," he said as he handed it to her.

"Thanks." She took the drink and crossed the room to sit by the fire. She pulled a laptop from her bag and set it on the table, then powered it up and took a sip of her latte.

So the time passed as Stephen's double shifts bled together. She sat there, slowly sipping her latte as she typed away on her computer, and Stephen poured infinite amounts of coffee and espresso until three o'clock came about and it finally slowed down.

"Excuse me," he said softly as he walked over to her table.

"Yes?" The black-haired girl looked up at him.

"Are you- are you Gwen Maguire?"

She blushed and looked down at her hands, glittering with a pair of jeweled rings. "Well, Gwen Knightly, now, but yes."

"My name is Stephen Heart. I've read your novel; I like it every much."

"Well, thank you." She smiled prettily.

Stephen grinned back, then casually sat down on the arm of the chair across from her. "In fact, I loved it. I think it would be fantastic adapted into a musical."

Gwen laughed slightly. "A musical?"

"Yeah. The characters are so... real. Breathtaking. Honestly, I fell in love with Fae after the first chapter."

Gwen's blush turned deep red. "Well, thank you, Stephen. That's very high praise."

"The only thing that bothered me was the ending."

"Oh?"

"Well, Fae's dead, and Yero just... disappears. I mean, his sister and the rest of the country assume he's dead, and they have the joint funeral and everything, but there's no proof that he's dead."

"He was tortured, remember?"

"Right, but Fae tried to save him. You never say that he actually died, only that she did." Stephen shrugged. "If it ever was developed into a musical, I think that'd have to be changed."

"I see. Well, it was lovely meeting you, Stephen, but I have to go." She smiled, shut her computer, and tucked it back into its case, then grabbed the remainder of her (cold) latte, and headed out the door, to where a man with thick, dark hair and blue diamond tattoos adorning his wrists and neck was waiting. His name, Stephen knew, was Lance Knightly, Gwen's husband. He kissed her gently and the two of them climbed into his blue Mercedes.

Stephen smiled faintly, and wondered if perhaps he'd been too critical of her.

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><p>TO: Stephen Heart<p>

FROM: Gwen Maguire-Knightly

SUBJECT: _Wicked _Ending

Dear Stephen,

I've been thinking about what you said last week, and I think you were right. _Wicked's _ending is much too tragic; Fae and Yero deserve better. In fact, that's what I thought when I first wrote it. I had an entire epilogue that cleared things up, which Greg- my editor- didn't like. He goes for things like that; the mystery, the tragedy... I don't know. So, I thought maybe you'd like to read it. Attachment II is something that was never in the draft, but maybe you'd like. Since you're thinking _Wicked: The Musical, _anyway.

Thanks!

G. Knightly

_Attachment I_

_Attachment II_

* * *

><p><em><span>Attachment I<span>  
><em>

_The first thing Fae felt when she awoke was his lips on hers. She gasped a tiny little gasp and her eyes flew open. Then she felt his tears on her cheeks, and shuddered with cold. _

_"Yero," she murmured, and he pulled away, running his trembling fingers over the side of her face. _

_"Fae?" he whispered. "But... you were dead."_

_She smiled softly and pulled him down again, kissing him gently. "Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a little while."_

_And all she said was true, for true love's kiss had saved her soul from death, just as it had saved Yero himself so long ago. _

_Then they went together, ran long and hard until they couldn't run anymore, and even then they ran harder, chasing the sunset so that it might always remain the day that true love prevailed. They ran so long and so far that they ran up into the sky, up over a rainbow, and found themselves in a place where they could start again. They could never go back to Oz, but as long as they were together, they had everything they needed. _

_THE END. _

* * *

><p><em><span>Attachment II<span>_

_"As Long as You're Mine"  
><em>

[FAE]KISS ME TOO FIERCELY  
>HOLD ME TOO TIGHT<br>I NEED HELP BELIEVING  
>YOU'RE WITH ME TONIGHT<br>IN MY WILDEST DREAMS  
>I COULD NOT SEE<p>

LYING BESIDE YOU  
>WITH YOU WANTING ME<p>

AND JUST FOR THIS MOMENT  
>AS LONG AS YOU'RE MINE<br>I'VE LOST ALL RESISTANCE  
>AND CROSSED SOME BORDERLINE<br>AND IF IT TURNS OUT  
>IT ISN'T LONG ENOUGH<br>I'LL MAKE EV'RY MOMENT LAST  
>AS LONG AS YOU'RE MINE...<p>

[YERO]

WHAT'S THIS I'M DOING?

WHAT'S THIS I FEEL?

THE BOY WHO WAS CERTAIN

LOVE ISN'T REAL

SOMEHOW I'VE FALLEN UNDER YOUR SPELL

AND SOMEHOW I'M FEELING

IT'S UP THAT I FELL

[BOTH]  
>EVERY MOMENT<br>AS LONG AS YOU'RE MINE  
>I'LL WAKE UP MY BODY<br>AND MAKE UP FOR LOST TIME...

[FAE]SAY THERE'S NO FUTURE  
>FOR US AS A PAIR...<p>

[BOTH]  
>AND THOUGH I MAY KNOW<br>I DON'T CARE ...

JUST FOR THIS MOMENT  
>AS LONG AS YOU'RE MINE<br>COME BE WHAT YOU ARE  
>AND SEE HOW BRIGHT WE SHINE<br>BORROW THE MOONLIGHT  
>UNTIL IT IS THROUGH<br>AND KNOW I'LL BE HERE HOLDING YOU  
>AS LONG AS YOU'RE MINE.<p>

* * *

><p>TO: Gwen Maguire-Knightly<p>

FROM: Stephen Heart

SUBJECT: Re: _Wicked _Ending

Dear Ms. Knightly,

I agree with you; this ending is much more satisfying. It's nice to think that Fae and Yero have a chance at a good life somewhere far away from all the troubles they had in Oz. Even if they do have to leave the Animals and Glinny behind. I can't imagine Fae would have been too happy with that!

The lyrics, too, are beautiful. There are a few places where the phrasing is a bit awkward, however ("it isn't long enough" for instance; there you could try "it's over too fast"), and the first bit of Yero's verse has a different feel than the rest of the song (the "what am I doing" through "love isn't real." You might reference Yero's obvious oblivious demeanor throughout the book, and how he's changed because of Fae. "Maybe I'm brainless, maybe I'm wise, but you've got me seeing through different eyes" and then go into "somehow I've fallen..."). "Come be what you are" could be "come be how you want to" as it implies a choice to be something that they haven't been able to be in the past (in Fae's case because of prejudice, and in Yero's because of preconceived ideas about him based on his reputation). "In my wildest dreams I could not see" may be more effective as "My wildest dreamings could not forsee," to portray Fae's later-developed precognitive abilities through her magic as limited where true love is limitless.

Overall, though, it's a beautiful song, with gorgeous lyrics.

In a musical version of _Wicked _you may want to play with some of the names a little, since most of them are short and come off as nicknames. Fae and Yero sound like nicknames the two of them may have come up with for each other once they got together, and Glinny's transformation from Glinny to Ginny halfway through may be more effective with a longer name.

Sorry if I'm coming off overly critical!

Sincerely,

Stephen Heart

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><p>TO: Stephen Heart<p>

FROM: Gwen Maguire-Knightly

SUBJECT: Re: _Wicked _Ending

I agree with you on all the lyric changes (Lance and I love your ideas! You're not being overly critical at all), and the name thing. Maybe we could try Elphaba, Fiyero, and Galinda (to be changed later to Glinda)?

Gwen

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><p>TO: Gwen Maguire-Knightly<p>

FROM: Stephen Heart

SUBJECT: Re: _Wicked _Ending

I love those names! Where did you come up with them?

Attachment I is the song lyrics I've come up with for when Fae (Elphaba?!) defies the Wizard and starts her Animal Rights campaign. Her singing should be rich and strong, with simple notes. Attachment II is for Glinny (Galinda!?) to sing early in the show (I see her as a high belter; bubbly blonde cheerleader with lots of yodeling). III is after Elphaba thinks Fiyero is dead as she's trying to save him.

Stephen

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><p><em>Attachment<em> _I_

_Something has changed within me_  
><em>Something is not the same<em>  
><em>I'm through with playing by<em>  
><em>The rules of someone else's game<em>  
><em>Too late for second-guessing<em>  
><em>Too late to go back to sleep<em>  
><em>It's time to trust my instincts<em>  
><em>Close my eyes<em>  
><em>And leap...<em>

* * *

><p><em>Attachment II<em>

_Whenever I see someone less fortunate than I_  
><em> (and let's face it—who isn't less fortunate than I?)<em>  
><em> My tender heart<em>  
><em> Tends to start to bleed<em>  
><em> And when someone needs a makeover<em>  
><em> I simply have to take over<em>  
><em> I know, I know exactly what they need<em>  
><em> And even in your case<em>  
><em> Though it's the toughest case I've yet to face<em>  
><em> Don't worry—I'm determined to succeed<em>  
><em> Follow my lead<em>  
><em> And yes, indeed<em>  
><em> You will be...<em>

_ Popular!_  
><em> You're gonna be popular!<em>  
><em> I'll teach you the proper poise<em>  
><em> When you talk to boys<em>  
><em> Little ways to flirt and flounce<em>  
><em> I'll show you what shoes to wear<em>  
><em> How to fix your hair<em>  
><em> Everything that really counts<em>

_ To be popular!_  
><em> I'll help you be popular!<em>

* * *

><p><em>Attachment III<em>

_Don't let them in, don't let them see_  
><em> Be the good girl you always have to be<em>  
><em> Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know<em>  
><em> Well, now they know!<em>

_ Let it go, let it go_  
><em> Can't hold it back anymore<em>  
><em> Let it go, let it go<em>  
><em> Turn away and slam the door!<em>

_ I don't care_  
><em> What they're going to say<em>  
><em> Let the storm rage on,<em>  
><em> The cold never bothered me anyway!<em>

_My power flurries through the air into the ground_  
><em> My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around<em>  
><em> And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast<em>  
><em> I'm never going back,<em>  
><em> The past is in the past!<em>

_ Let it go, let it go_  
><em> And I'll rise like the break of dawn<em>  
><em> Let it go, let it go<em>  
><em> That perfect girl is gone!<em>

_ Here I stand_  
><em> In the light of day<em>  
><em> Let the storm rage on,<em>  
><em> The cold never bothered me anyway! <em>

* * *

><p>TO: Stephen Heart<p>

FROM: Gwen Maguire-Knightly

SUBJECT: Re: _Wicked _Ending

Wow! LOVE LOVE LOVE Attachment I; I can almost hear it in my head... Attachment II is fantastic as well: I can totally hear Glin saying all that, and the poppy, yodeling melody you described sounds perfect for her! Attachment III is good... It feels like it doesn't go with the rest of the lyrics. Like it's from a different show. I don't know.

Hope I didn't offend you! I'm loving working on this again; I've missed my _Wicked _work.

Gwen

* * *

><p>TO: Gwen Maguire-Knightly<p>

FROM: Lance Knightly

SUBJECT: Dinner tonight?

Hey Fae! Just wondering if we're still on for dinner tonight. What sounds good? I'd be willing to cook something, but only if you are game to risk food poisoning... Or we've got Jay's Bistro in town... Lots of fun restaurants in Eagle, that's for sure.

Love,

Fiyero

* * *

><p>TO: Lance Knightly<p>

FROM: Gwen Maguire-Knightly

SUBJECT: Re: Dinner tonight?

Yero, you cooking anything would be a disaster. Jay's sounds good to me! I can't wait to show you the new lyrics Stephen came up with today... He's brilliant.

xoxo

Elphaba


End file.
